By Vicki Barnes
For the weary traveler, the name Lazy Bones alone is enough to draw you in, but the atmosphere in this hidden gem of a hostel in Leon, Nicaragua is laid back and energetic at the same time.
While Big Foot Hostel is famous on the internet for its electrified raves, its American-style pizza nights and high speed volcano boarding, Lazy Bones offers a more eclectic vibe that appeals to a more international crowd whose travel itinerary involves more than partying.
The hostel is run by a cooperative, a group of employees who share in the risks and the profits of the endeavor. They treat each other and the guests like family.
You might miss the door to this place if you weren’t sure of your destination two and a half blocks south of the Poets Park, across from the Mediterranean restaurant. A locked gate opens into a dark reception area, but beyond that is a courtyard with a beautifully-maintained tropical garden. On one wall, a surreal mural with bits of Nicaraguan history and lore in shades of red and gold. Across the way, a couple of tidy dorms.
Dorms are $8 and the private rooms with ensuite baths range from $20 to $30.
Beyond the garden are a few private rooms and family suites, a small dorm and another courtyard with a pool, a small Internet cafe and a kitchen where one can get a delicious breakfast.
The kitchen also serves as the staff’s community kitchen where staff and their families can prepare meals for themselves and their families with food they’ve each donated to the pantry. For a fee ($14), you can get a class in basic local cooking from one of the staff, including how to make tortillas from scratch. In the end you can eat your meal.
Staff members are using their talents and knowledge of the local area and history for a new tour (Maribios Tours) company as well. They are just getting started, so they haven’t gotten all the kinks out of the system, but they are doing a great job. There are shuttle drivers who get a little lost (not badly – and in a country with no street signs and roads maintained by residents – not surprisingly) and a lack of promotional items like T-shirts to make them more visible.
They are enthusiastic and encouraging and wonderfully kind. That goes a long way when exploring something new.
We did the volcano boarding ($30 including breakfast, a fresh fruit snack, water, transportation and everything you need to fling yourself down the ashy side of a volcano) with Claudia, a young woman who had grown up running up and down the “hills” (1000+ foot active and inactive volcanos) that surround Leon.
Standing at the base of Cerro Negro, an active volcano (it is presently just spewing small amounts of sulfuric gas, not lava), I briefly considered backing out of the whole deal. I am (a) pudgy, (b) of a certain age and (c) afraid of falling off volcanoes.
“No, Mi’Lady”, she said, grabbing me by the hand. “I will hold your hand all the way up. It’s not hard. We’ll do this together.” All the way up, she encouraged me, always smiling. (By the way, sliding down a volcano is the most fun you can have on a narrow piece of plywood.)
Lazy Bones only takes 5 or 6 people in a group on their tours. Other tours take groups of 40 or 50. Because of this, they can offer personalized attention that makes all the difference.
While we missed having a communal kitchen where we could prepare our own meals at this hostel, the experience was a great one overall.
Website: http://www.lazyboneshostelinnicaragua.com
Reservations: email them at lazybonesleon@yahoo.com
BUDGET NOMADS 
First off I would like to say terrific blog! I had a quick question that I’d like
to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your mind before
writing. I have had a tough time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out.
I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to
be lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or hints?
Many thanks!
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Sorry for the slow response – We’ve taken up sailing and have been busy outfitting the new boat (you can follow that adventure on facebook.com/SVSecondDraft). Thanks for the compliment. I have found writing to be about 90 percent research and thought and 10 percent writing and editing. We take notes or record events sometimes as we are experiencing them, but not so much as to detract from the experience. Later, I will sit somewhere quietly and think about what I saw/heard/smelled/learned. Only then do I begin to write. Often the first few paragraphs are the hardest and then it begins to flow. I only refer back to the notes afterward to check for accuracy on spellings, etc., or to be sure I haven’t missed something important. Thanks for reading – please check back from time to time as we will be more vigilant about updates now that we have settled onto the boat.
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